A supply chain includes networks of suppliers, transportation carriers, fabrication sites, assembly locations, distribution centers, and customer locations by which components, services, information and products flow. The raw materials, components and services that result in end products and components occur at a variety of levels in a supply chain. The variety of levels assemble raw components into more complex components which may be processed or combined with additional components at yet other levels in the supply chain. The components are eventually brought together to manufacture end products.
The demand of products from the consumer drives a supply chain. The demand creates activity along the supply chain. The activity along the supply chain consists of services or processes characterized by information such as supplier name, component name, and part's manufacturing location.
Large automotive manufacturing organizations utilize extremely large supply chains involving multiple products or components supported by multiple levels of processes or services. Large manufacturing organizations have complex and substantially large supply chains, so that determining the flow within the supply chain is often difficult. Furthermore, these supply chains often change rapidly such that products or components have short lifetimes and new products or components are introduced frequently into the supply chain. Thus, complex supply chains having a large and dynamic structure require assessment of the entire chain to determine risks or where improvements can be made.